“Midnight Mass,” Netflix’s newest horror series, was released at midnight on Sept. 24. The series, directed by “The Haunting of Hill House’s” Mike Flanagan, follows the story of a small island town being rejuvenated by a new priest’s eccentric masses. The seven-part show mostly revolves around Riley Flynn, portrayed by Zach Gilford, a previously up-and-coming entrepreneur who had moved off of the island but returned due to his struggles with alcohol abuse and a tragic accident that occurred while he was under the influence.
As Riley returns to his childhood hometown, we meet the other characters that make up the small population left living on the island. The characteristics of the town resonated with many viewers who may have grown up in small dreary towns like the one laid out in “Midnight Mass”; everything, from buildings to even some opinions, was outdated.
While the show does touch on a lot of religious subjects – I mean, it is quite literally called “Midnight Mass,” which is a western Catholic tradition – it isn’t just about religion. The focus on Riley’s history of alcohol abuse is a very intentional parallel to the town’s own reliance on religion. Many of the characters living in the town use religion as a crutch so they won’t have to process grief or accept a change that has happened in their lives, or even in their town.
One example would be that of Leeza, portrayed by Annarah Cymone, a young girl in the town who suffered an accident as a child that caused her legs to become paralyzed. Her family, while pursuing medical treatment for her, had accepted that it was the will of their god that she had suffered this accident.
Another would be Bev Keane, a pious member of the local church and a deeply religious member of the community. She taunts, gossips about and argues with those who she believes to be sinners or nonbelievers. Throughout the show, she refuses to accept other world views than her own, believing that her strict faith in one religion makes her better than everyone else. Towards the end of the show, another townsperson accuses her of using her faith as a crutch to ward off her own insecurities about herself, confirming that even she uses religion as an excuse to ignore processing her own feelings.
Throughout the series, Riley seems to be the only one in the town not totally sold on the new priest’s energetic sermons, even though the new priest shows lots of interest in gaining Riley’s trust and faith. Throughout conversations between the two characters, Riley brings up a number of his own beliefs on why he doesn’t practice religion anymore and the justifications behind that. The priest acknowledges his concerns and encourages his individual thinking while also reminding Riley that religion can and should include individuality and flaws.
Lots of critics accuse the show of painting western Christianity in a bad light, but if you look at the group of final protagonists that isn’t the case at all. They’re not all atheists or nonbelievers; they’re simply aware of the difference between practicing spirituality and placing complete and total blind faith in something. It all ties back to struggling with addiction and facing the reality of change, whether that be a change in diversity or death or tragedy.
“Midnight Mass” is such a great example of a slow burn horror, but also something that encourages viewers to think about the way that they process change. It’s very intentional that this show follows the plotline of someone who suffered with addiction not believing in the local church while the rest of the townsfolk are slowly drawn in and become obsessed with attending mass.
There are many other great things about this show. Rahul Kohli delivers a great performance portraying sheriff Hassan who is Muslim, a religion grossly underrepresented or misrepresented in the horror genre. “Midnight Mass” addresses racism, classism, abuse, small town gossip, struggles with faith and so much more. It’s a great addition to the horror genre in film and has become one of my favorite shows; if you’re looking for a spooky series that makes you think, this one is for you.
This is SUCH a good show!
Great article, def will watch!